Wireless transmission technologies of various kinds are known in the art. Such technologies use a variety of modulation, transmission, bearer channel construct and frequency(s), and/or protocol approaches to effect the transmission of user and/or system content. In general, however, from country to country around the world, essentially all such transmissions share a common requirement; compliance with one or more regulatory requirements. These regulatory requirements may be general or specific but tend to exist to ensure that the transmission does not unduly interfere with other transmissions.
There are various ways that regulatory bodies express these requirements. For example, restrictions and limitations may be set forth regarding specific center frequencies, channel width, guard bands, maximum transmission power, and so forth, to note but a few examples in this regard. One way or the other, however, these requirements tend to be viewable as establishing limitations regarding the spectral density of a given transmission at a given center frequency. Such limitations can be viewed as a spectral density mask, such that when the spectral density signature of a given transmission exceeds the bounds of this spectral density mask, that transmission can be viewed as also exceeding the bounds of the corresponding regulatory requirements.
Radio designers typically account for such regulatory requirements in the basic design of their platforms. A given radio, designed to operate in a particular manner, is configured and arranged to simply not exceed relevant regulatory requirements during ordinary use. More recently, so-called cognitive radios are able to adjust their operability, often in significant ways, during ordinary use. Such cognitive radios may then be imbued with a capability of determining whether a given state of operation is in compliance with relevant regulatory requirements. When such is not the case, such a platform can then be configured to either simply prohibit any further operation or to downgrade the quality of service in order to ensure a compliant transmission. Reducing transmission power comprises a simple example as to the latter.
Such solutions leave much to be desired. In many cases the transmission states of a cognitive radio occur with relative transparency; the user will typically not know (or perhaps even care) how their radio is presently operating. A diminution with respect to quality of service, however, can be very evident. Any reduction in quality of service can be noticeable to a user and comprise a highly undesired condition. Dissatisfaction can be higher when the reasons for such a reduction are unapparent to the user and appear to be, more or less, random in nature.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.